How do you keep your family warm on....

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2003
How do you keep your family warm on....
17
Thu, 12-20-2007 - 6:51pm

winter nights?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2005
Fri, 12-21-2007 - 10:48am

Well ds wears flannel pajamas.

Avatar for heartsandroses2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 12-21-2007 - 11:05am

I am the cold one in the house, but I will either wear my robe and jammies or put on a sweathshirt if I'm feeling chilly and I always have a small throw in the living room for when we're watching tv and get chilly.


Our thermostat is automaticlly set on a timer, so at 6AM is goes up to 66°F and then at 7:30AM it drops down to 60°F until 4PM when it goes back up to 66°F. It stays at 66°F until 10PM and goes down to 64°F while we're sleeping. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, I will put it up to 68°F IF we're having particularly colder windy weather.


We have a wood burning stove in the basement to supplement the heating of the house, but it's on one end of the house so that usually leaves the bedrooms quite chilly. I've taken to using a heating pad or small heated throw on my feet when I get into bed - it automatically shuts itself off after 3 hours, but my feet are notoriously cold so I need this along with thick wooly socks and am not sorry about the added electrical expense!


Our water is also run off of our oil heat and I am the guilty party when it comes to extra long showers. I know, I know, wasteful. But I try and try to get in and out fast, but I just love standing under the hot water and taking a luxurious shower - eek! I remember when I was a teen my dad standing outside the bathroom door yelling at me to turn off the Go*damned water!! Hahaha - ooh that's bad. Anyway, H always asks me when I *finally* get out of the bathroom..."what do you DO in there?" Haha.


We used to be on a budget payment plan with our oil company and our bill was $275/month for 10 months. THIS year, I decided to wing it and we're paying COD, which scares the crap out of me. I just plunked out $464 for 150 gallons of fuel oil. We've topped off our tank at just slightly higher than the 3/4 mark, so I'm hoping that with care, we're able to milk that until March - depends on how cold it gets this year. It doesn't help that dd18 is home a lot when we're not, so the heat winds up being higher than usual most of the day. If she'd get a job, at least she wouldn't be home during the day when the heat could be turned down. And I will have to start taking faster, shorter showers. Seriously, the cost of oil is completely out of control.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2007
Fri, 12-21-2007 - 11:55am
ROFL. My DH is the one banging on the door when my DS takes his marathon showers. I don't know why he's so obsessed with it. I don't even notice that the water is running! He doesn't dare do it to me, though. LOL. I hate to get out of the shower because w/ the hot water, I feel like it's the only time of the day I'm comfortably warm!
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2003
Fri, 12-21-2007 - 12:13pm
Rose- Too funny.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2003
Fri, 12-21-2007 - 12:15pm
OMG I think I would freeze at 64/60 but I have friends that keep their house in the low 60's as well and they are always complaining they are "hot" at my house at 72 during the day...
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-03-2003
Fri, 12-21-2007 - 12:19pm

My kids are

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-25-2002
Fri, 12-21-2007 - 1:11pm

Well, I'm menopausing, so I'm always hot...I sleep with the window open and the door closed in my bedroom. DH is always cold so he'll sleep on the sofa with blankets and layers on. I keep a big basket of blankets and throws in the LR, and pillows, the kids just hunker down on the couches to watch TV and keep warm.


DH turns the heat up, I turn it down. Heating oil is ridiculously priced, it's a neccesity and we're being robbed.


My next house will have a wood stove or some similar alterative heat source. Wouldn't it be great to not have to depend on oil companies, electric companies, phone, water, cable/satellite, broadband, .......?

 

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